Mission

Participating in God's ongoing mission in the world, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a community of Christ joining in the Spirit's work of forming and equipping people for ministries familiar and yet to unfold and communities present and yet to be gathered.

In the Way of Jesus

Since 1794 Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has been preparing students in the way of Jesus. We welcome neighbors; share meals, differences, and experiences; expand our minds; and expect to be challenged by the broad range of beliefs we bring to the table.

Academic Rigor

The established academic rigor of more than 200 years of theological education, and the depth and diversity of our faculty, ensure our student community learns, grows, and flourishes on a path to practical ministry. Our students prepare to engage in God's work with parishes, nonprofits, and institutions specific to their call.

Service to the Church and Community

From our extensive theological library, archaeological museum, and printed and digital publications, to welcoming participation in our robust continuing education program, mission-related opportunities, and youth ministry institute, the Seminary models what it means to be a valuable resource for the church and the world.

Support Theological Education

When you give to Pittsburgh Seminary, you invest in men and women who, in and out of the classroom, are preparing to participate with Christ in the transformative work of gospel ministry around the globe—whether in traditional church settings, entrepreneurial church plants, or missional initiatives. Your giving supports student scholarships, faculty development, educational programs such as the World Mission Initiative, Church Planting Initiative, and Metro-Urban Institute, and much more.

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Meet PTS

PTS Alum Follows God to Asia to Teach

An American Baptist in his mid-30s, PTS Presidential Scholar the Rev. James Riggins ’08 was at a point in his life when the way ahead was not clear to him. So he consulted with then-World Mission Initiative director Don Dawson, who connected James to PCUSA mission co-worker Sharon Bryant, coordinator of Christian Volunteers for the Church of Christ in Thailand. She invited James to come there as an English teacher. In fact, James was the first volunteer Sharon recruited in her work with CVT! And while James wasn’t sure he wanted to teach English, he believed God was calling him to Thailand through the CVT program. He arrived in the fall of 2012.

After three years of service in Padoongrasdra School, while also ministering to a small group of English-speaking ex-pat worshipers every Sunday afternoon, the Thai church chartered a new international church in Phitsanulok and called James as its first pastor. James learned the charter was part of a bigger plan of God in the long history of missionary work in Thailand—it completed a cycle as the first church planted by a Thai pastor with the aim of reaching out to non-Thai. Further, while James was serving as the church’s pastor, he met a vibrant young Filipina Christian who was teaching at a government school in that town. They fell in love, and James and Goodwill were married in October of 2016.

But the story didn’t end there. James continued to serve as pastor of Great Commission International Church for another four years.

While building up the congregation, he also started a doctoral program in intercultural studies. As his coursework in that program continued, God again reached out to James and called him to teach, this time at an international university, also in Asia.

He and Goodwill left Thailand in August 2019 to head to his new assignment. But they didn’t leave alone, as earlier this year they welcomed their firstborn baby—James Alex!

God tells us to recognize the new things God is doing right in front of us. Back in 2012, James trusted that God was calling him to ministry in Thailand and went there not knowing what to expect. But he was willing to take that first step into the unknown. And God more than answered his prayers—his prayers for guidance in life, for a partner in Christian service, and for a fruitful ministry. Not only has James’s ministry enriched the lives of the students he’s taught—it has also enriched his own life.